Narrative paragraph

Narrative text

The narrative text is telling of a story or an account of a sequence of events. One of the four traditional forms of composition (along with description, exposition, and persuasion). Narration differs from exposition, which can also relate a sequence of events, in that narration need not be factual and may be written from the perspective of a character in the text.

The social function is to tell stories either in present which is called present narrative, past events, which called past narrative and future which is called future narrative, to entertain the readers (smalley, and Ruetten, 1984).

There are some kind of narrative text, such as: fables, myths, legend etc.

The generic sctucture of a narrative:
1. Orientation: Sets the scene and introduces the participants.
2. Complication: A crisis arises
3. Resolution: The crisis is resolved, for the better or for worse.
4. Re-orientation: Optinal
5. Evaluation: A stepping back to evaluate the plight

Language forms of narrative text:

Using processes verbs : tell, says, narrates.

Using temporal conjunction : chronological order.

Using simple past tense .

Example:

“GOLDEN EGGS”

Long time ago a remote village, in central China was inhabited mainly with farmers and hunters. One day, a poor farmer lost his entire livestock to flood. He prayed hard to God for help or his family would die of starvation. (orientation)

Few days later, an old man with long grey beard, passed by his house took pity on him. He gave him a goose and said “ I don’t have any expensive thing to give you and hope this goose will help you to ease your hardship.”

A week later to almost surprise the farmer found and egg in his yard. This was no ordinary egg. It was a golden egg. He was suddenly overcome with joy. (complication)

Thereafter, his livelihood had rapidly improved but the farmer had forgotten his earlier hardship. He became lazy, arrogant and spendthrift.(resolution)